Improved beiok-maohine



@uitrit taten getint @Hire THEODORE BARKER, OF MEXICO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO JAPHET LIN- GENFELTER. OF SAME PLACE.

Letters .Potent No. 80,850, dated August 11, 18683.n

IMPROVED BRICK-MACHINE.

TO ALL WHOM ITZMAY CONOERN:

.Beit known that I, THEODORE BARKER, of Mexico,- n the county of Oswego, and State ci' New York, have invented cert'ainnew a'nd useful Improvements on Brick-Making Machinery; 'and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specificatiomlinwhiehi Figure 1, Vsheet 1, is a front elevation of the improved machine.

Figure 2, sheet 1, is an elevation of` one side of the machine.

Figure 3, sheet 2, is a. section taken through the machine, beloufthc pug-mill and press-box, in the horizontal plane indicated -hy re'd "line y y in fig. 1.

Figure/1, sheet 2, is a longitudinal section taken throgh the machine, in the vertical plane indicated by red linea: a: in fig. 1. i v

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts inthe several figures.

This invention relates to certain novel improvements on that class of brick-making machinery wherein the clay is pulverized and'mixed in a vertical pug-mill, and discharged laterallyv` therefrom into a press-box, which is applied to one side of this mill, from which box the clay is forced directly into mould-boxes,which are moved beneath-it. l e y The nature of my invention and improvement consists in the employment, in this class of machine, of a driving-belt, for transmittingirnotion from the main driving-shaft of the pug-millto the followers, which move the mould-boxes beneath the press-box, 'for the purpose of guarding against eerangemen't and broakegeof the maehi'nmshould it become clogged by foreign substances' in the clay, said belt being provided with a device by `which it can he made to hug -upon its drums with more or less force, according to the power required to be transmitted through it, as will be hereinafter described.

The invention 'also consists in providing for feeding the empty mould-boxes from a receiving-table, arranged on o ne side of and beneath the plane of the pug-mill, to a point which is beneath the press-box, and thenl moving the mould-boxes, when filled, upon a delivery-,table in frantoi' the press-box, by means of certain levers and connecting-rods,which. are arranged beneath the plane of'said tables, and whichreceive motion from the pugmill. shaft, as will be hereinafter described.V ,Y Y i I The. invention further consists in communicating an vintermittent vertical reciprocating motion to the plunger, which forces the c'lay from the press-box into the mould-boxes by means of a reciprocating cross-head andan adjustable hearing, saidcross-head being applied upon guide-rods extending up from the plunger, and allowedto slide independently of said rods and plunger, in the-act of rising while the'press-box is being lled, and Valso in the act of descending to commence the operation olf-pressing as'will be hereinafter described.

The invention further consistsl 'in providing a vertical pug-milhhaving a press-boxupon its side, with a clay-elevator, which is so constructed and applied that it will elevate and discharge `the clay into the pugmill,

`at the top ther'eofwithout requiringv manual labor to perform this work, as will be hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art'to understand my invention, I will describe its construction and operation. In the accompanying drawings, A represents an upright frame, which is adapted for containing and supporting the mechanism for mixing the clay, forcing it into the mould-boxes, .and moving these bo'xes beneath the press-box` WithinV this frame is .constructed the pugmill box B, which is open at its top, and closed at its bottom, except at a,- where there is a lateral opening for the discharge of the clay into the press-hpx Bl.

In thecentre ofi the pug-mill box B isa vertical shaft, @which is stepped upon the bottom of this box, and'passed through a. horizontal h eadblock, A,carrying upon its upper end a large bevclspur wheel, G', and a lever 0r swecp to which the animals arehitched that operate the machine. This vertical shaft C should be provided withradial arms lor blades, for stirring, pulverizng, and mixing the clay, preparatory to discharging it-into'the press-ho:t"B, and, at the lowerV end ofthie shaft, blades should be applied, which will force the clay into the press-box. The press-box Bl is of a rectangular shape, and is secured rigidly to the front side of the pug-mill box, so as to receive the clay from thisbox beneath a vcrtically-reciprocating plunger, Bz. The front side of thebex Bl is provided with'a hinged door,'a, for affording access to it beneath the plunger, and the bottonil of this box is constructed in the well-lonown manner, with a grating, s, consisting of parallel bars, between which the clay is forced and-divideihin its passage into the cells of the mould-boxes. rlhe plungerl2 is constructed with a plate extending up from its back edge, which forms a cut-olf, for preventing clay from being forced over the pressing-plato of the plunger when this plate descends below the top of the opening a, as shown in iig. 4. In the middle of the width of the plunger B2, and arranged at equal distances from the ends thereof, twovcrtical reds'e e, are scured rigidly to it, which rods extend up through bracket-guides el el on the press-box, and also through bracket-guides e2 e2, which are secured to the pug-mill box Bl, as shown in iig;

1. By means of these guides, the rods e e will l-:eep the plunger B2 always in a plaine parallel to the bottom cf the press-box, and allow the plunger to be raised and depressed: The guidelrods e e also pass through the tuhular extremities vof a erosshea'l,f, which is interposed between lifting-pinsff/on the' guide-rods, and an adjustable screw, g, upon the plunger. This cross-head is allowed to slide up and down between saidpa-rts independently of the guide-rodsand plunger, so that the plunger shall remain stationary during a portion of the' ascending` and descending strokes et' the el'oss-headf. The screw g is tapped into a tubular socketfgl, which rises some distance above the top of the press-plate of the plunger, and this screw is used so that, by adjusting it, the plunger can be depressed more or less, according to the density itis required to make the bricks;

The cross-headfreceives motion from a cranldgg, through the medium of a connecting-rod, D, which crank is keyed upon the front end of a horizontal shaft, Dl, that has its bearings. upon tcp of frame A, and that receives its rotation from the large horizontal bevel-wheel C, by mcanspf the pinion-spur wheel D2.

Bene-ath the press-box and pug-mill, and extending out in frontoof the pressfbox, as shown in figs. 2 and 4, is a table, E, which is constructed with rollers, 'h h, upon that portion of it which is beneath nthe press-box, and which i's-hinged at its rear end to vertically-adjustable bearings, t t, in'any suitable manner. The forward portion of the table E is supported upon toes, z'e', which are secured to a horizontal roch-shaft, E1, which shaft 'is supported by vertically-adjustable stirrups, jj, upon the two front uprights of the frame An ar'ur, E2, projects at right angles from one end'of the shaft El, which is used for rocking this shaft when it is desiredto depress or elevate the front endQof the table. When the table is in a horizontal planc,vp`arallel to thc bottom of the press-bo x, the arm Ez will be held in an upright position, by the catch 7c, upon onset'` the standards of the frame A, as shown in g's. 1 and 2. Thetable E can be adjusted up endown bodily, by loosening the four bearings, tt, jy', upon which it is supported. i l

On oneside cf the table Eyand at rightgangles thereto, is a receiving-table, F, which is supported' in the same horizontal plane as the table E, by means of legs F at its outer'end, and pins or. studs at' its inner end,

which latter` 'enter holes made in one of the side barsof the table E, and' allow-the receiving-tablel' to be removed :it pleasure. This receiving-table F has a centralslot through it, extendingits entire length, which slot serves as alguide for a sliding follower, S, that is intended for moving the empty mould-boxes endwse upon the table E, in rear of'the press-box, and leaving them in a position, upon this table E, to be moved beneath the press-box by means of a. follower, G. The follower G is-hung from parallel slotted ways, Z Z, secured to the bottom of the pug-mill box B, and movedvback 'and forth by means of a connecting-rod, G1, and crank-arm, GZ.

The crank-arm Gr2 is keyed upon a horizontal shaft, G3, which" is supported by frame A beneath the pugmill box, as shown in fig. 3, and on the outer end of the' shaft G3 a belt-drum, H, is keyed.

The follower G receives regular'rectilinear reciprocating movement, and whenit'has moved a mould-box beneath the press-box,'itlrecedes, to allow ofthe4 introduction of anotherempty'box behind'the one being filled, during the filling operation, after which thisfollower G pushes the filled bcxfr'om beneath the press-box to the front part'of the table, und at the same time .pushes the said empty box benezftththe press-box. i

Illhe followers G and S operate alteruatelynpon the niould-boxes;that is to say, while the follower Gris receding from the press-box, after having m'ovedan empty box under it, the follower. S is advancing, and moving an empty box upon the table E. The follower S is connected by a rod, I, and swivel-joints, to the longest arm of a horizoutally-vibrating lcv-er, J, the shortest arm of which is connected by a rod, J', and swivel-joint, to the rod G, Awhich connects the follower G to' its crank-arm G2. The vibratng'lever J is pivoted to a fixed stud', m, which projects perpendieularly from thcwide sill A3 et' frame A, and the long arm of this lever isl supported in-its vibrating movements by a small wheel, 4m/,whieh rolls upon said sill, as sho-wh' infig. 1, The short bent arm of the lever has a wrist-pin, ht, projecting up from it, which passes through an oblong slot that is made "through the front part of the r'od J', as'shown in iig. 3. By means of this slotted rod J', the connecting-.rod G1 is caused tocomnlunicate an intermittent motion to the fllower S, so that this follower is allowed to remain stationary for ais'hort time at the terminus of each one-of its strokes. This will allow time for adjusting an' unfilled or empty mould-"box upon the table F, in frontof the-follower S; and it will also allow' 'the follower G terecede out of .the way before the follower S moves an empty bois-upon the tablel E.

The shaft Gs'rec-ellesmotion from `tlle-pug-rnill shaft- G, through' the medium of the belt K,belt-wheels Y H H1, shaft K, and spur-wheels K2 and C. The shaft K1- has its bearing on top of the frame A, and 'is'at right angles to the shaft D1, which operates the plunger B2. The belt K isl provided with a device which will allow of its being tightened at pleasure, which device consists of au anti-friction roller, o, applied to the end of a sliding frame, p, which frame is guided by a. bracket, L, upon vone side of ,the frame A. Byrmeaus of the screw p', the framep can be adjusted forwarderbackward,'and any degree of tightness given to' the belt which may be found necessary in working the machine. V

At the rear side Aof the frame A, I apply ah'elevator'for raising the clay from a vpeint nemthe base ot' the machine, and discharging this clayv into the upper end of the pug-mill. This elevator consists,o tatrunk, D,

suitably inclined and supported, upd provided with an endless-screw ilange, b,'upon a rotary shaft, D3. This trunk has a funnel or receiving-box, D2, near its lower end, into which the clay to bo raised is put, and'in this box is a number of radial wings, b 1 1, upon a shaft, l', which receives rotation from shaft Di, through the spurwheels c c', shown in iig. 4'. The shaft D3 carries a bevel-spur wheel, d, upon its upper end, which engages with a corresponding wheel, dl, upon the outer end of a horizontal shaft, D4, which has its bearing upon the top of the frame A. The shaft D4 also carries a bevelspur wheel, d3, which engages with the large horizontal' spur-wheel C', on the pug-mill lshaft C. When clay is thrown into the receiving-hopper D3, thc blades Z1 will force it rapidly into the lower ond of the trunk D, whcro it will be acted upon by the screw-flange b1, elevated, and discharged into the pug-mill through the spout Dl, thereby dispensingr with manual labor for lifting the clay to tho height of the pug-mill- The operation of the machine is as follows: Motion is imparted to the pug-mill shaft C by animals, which are hitched to along sweep projecting from the upper end of this shaft, and which are made to walkin a circle around the machine. vThe clay is elevated and -discharged into the pugm'ill, as above described, where it is mixed and thoroughly pulverized, and upon reaching the bottom of the said mill, it is discharged into thc pressbox B1 beneath the plunger B2. At the proper time for commencing thenoperation of making bricks, a mouldbo'x, consisting of a right-angular box, withzas many cells in it as there are spaces between the bars s, forming the bottom of the press-box, isjintroducedupon the side table F, in front of the follower S, between raised guides o ii, which are formed uponthis table, as shown in iig. 3. This empty box will be moved laterally upon y the table E, and left there. The follower G will then -movo forward and push 'this box beneath the press-box, where it will have its cells filled with clay by the descent of the plunger B2. AWhile the plunger B2 is operating, the follower G will recede and allow the follower-,S to move another empty mould-box` behind the box which now contains the clay. The follower G will themadvanee and force the iilled box from beneath the press-box, andat the same time force the nextvbox in the place occupied Vby this filled box.

l During the operation ofdischarging a illcd mould-box from` beneath the press-box, and introducing an empty box in its stead, the plunger B2 will remain stationary at the highest point of its press-box, so that there will be no clay forced from the latter during this operation, and during the filling of a mould-box the follower G will bring another empty mo'uldbox in position to take the place of said box when the plunger rises after completing its work.` It will be seen that after the plunger 'B2 is elevated to its highest pointbythe-c1oss-hend f, acting upon the lifting-pinsff, uponv guide-rods e e, this plunger remains stationary until the cross-head descends, and impinges upon thehe'a'd of the adjusting-screw g. This allows time for the lled mould to be pushed out upon the front end of the delivery-table E. It will also beseen that after the plunger has been depressed,- it is allowed to rest -until the crosslheadfrises against the lifting-pinsf. This allows time for the followers to move an empty mould-cell in fr ont of the follower Gr, and in line with the press-box.

The tubular socket gl, in which the adjustingscrewg is tapped, is made long enough to aiorda substantial support for this sereiandprevent clay fromclogging it.

e In this kind of'briclr-machine,'it is very important to provide a safe remedy against dcrangement or breakage, should a stone or other hard slibrstancein the clay get into the press-box. This has been attempted, before my invention, by a hinged'section applied to the press-bo'x,4 and connected by a tripping-device with the mould-v table beneath the press-box, but such a contrivancc is impracticable', on account of the uncertainty attending its operation at theprciper time to. save the machine from injury. The belt K and its tightening-device are found to eifcctually remedy the difficulty and danger, as this belt can be adjusted so that it will with certainty slip upon its drums when there 'is undue resistance beneath the press-box, and thus prevent the operation of the 4follower upon the mould-boxes. The danger of breaking the innchihe 'would occur ii' the 'mould-boxes were held fastby a hardsubsta-nce becoming lodged between them and the press-box bottom, and when thus held, thefollower is pressed upon them. i

I It will vbe'seenthat I drive my pug-mill press and elevatorKl by means oi' toothed or spur-gearing, and that I drive the followers, which bring the moulds in proper position, by means'of a belt and pulleys. Thus I obtain a positive and ungiving` power for operating the pug-mill shaft, 'the pressing-follower and the elevator, and a yielding-or relaxingpower for operating the followers which bring' up the moulds. New, in the event that 'theempty moulds or anything belonging ,to the devices, intermediate between the followers and the belt K, should become cramped, orrin 'the event of a mould-box which is being filled becoming bound or wedged by gravel or stones between the bottom ofthe press-box and the table E, and its .discharge therefrom should require u. great strain to come upon the devices lwhich operate themonld-boX-moving followers, and such strain should he so great as to endanger said devices, then the belt K slips and saves the devices from being broken. e

Butthis slipping of the belt docs net stop the operation oi' the pug-mill,'press-follower, and elevator, and there fore I have left a'square extension, Gf, on the Ashaft G3, and on this extension an attendant instantly fits a hapdlever, and by manual force, {the obstruction having been previously removed,) turns the pulleyand shaft far enough tolbring the mould-boxfmoving followers t'o'a proper posit-ion for operating-fin concert with the pressfollower. y It will be understood that the spur-gearing `is constructed Strong enough to overcome all binding obstructions, and hence the hand-movement of the shaft Gr3 may only be necessary to bring the parts in proper relation to one another, in order tohaveall operate harmoniously. The slip of belt may onlybe` momentary,

and its only-designio tor let the whole undue straincomc upon that part of the machine which is constructed to bear it'.

I ain-aware thatit is not new to employ a sidefrocciving table furthe mould-boxes, arranged at right` angles -to a delivery-table beneat-htlre r'nillro'r'id press-box, with two followers operating in conjunction with these tables,

and-therefore I do' not lay' claim now to such arrangement in its broadest sense.

I am also awel-@that it is .not new broadly to employ an lintermittent reciprocating plunger, working in a pressbex which is arranged uponone side of a pug-mill, nor to combine witbsucll feature a device by which bricks of different density can be made, by forcing more or less clay-into the cells in mould-boxes, and therefore I do not lay claim broadly to any of these old devices. A

Havingdesoribed my invention, what I do claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Combining with tlie two tables F and E, :1x-ranged at right angles to each other, and the two followers S and G, the connecting-rod I, vibrating-lever J, and slotted rod J', arranged and operating substantially in the manner and fortlie purposes specified.

2. The arrangement of the slotted side-table F, ledges c v, follower s, suspending guide-ways l, and tlif?y suspended follower G, in a brick-machine, substantially in the manner shown and described.

3. The combination and arrangement of the guide-rods c e, applied to the plunger B2, and provided with stopsff, the cross-headf, its connections with the driving-shaft, the adjusting-screw g, and tubular socket or sleeve g1, all substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

4. The belt K, with its necessary adjunots'between the spur-geared driving-power of tlie pug-mill and press, and the mechanism, constructed and arranged substantially as described, for bringing the mould-boxes into proper position, in the manner and for the purpose substantially as set forth. l

5. The combination and arrangement of the devices set forth for automatically feeding,elevating, and discharging clay into theApug-mill, in the manner substantially as and for the purposes described.

. THEODORE BAKKER.

Witnesses;

JOHN J. LAMoRnE, TIMOTHY W. Slimme. 

